The Falling Stars
by LaurienCalafalas
Summary: "Anya almost forgot who she was entirely, almost, but she still knew she didn't belong here, and she certainly did not recognize where here was."
1. Chapter 1

**This will be my first story on here, and I would ****_love_**** to get some reviews. Please don't be ****_too_**** harsh, I apologize for any grammatical errors and also for any perspective switches, sometimes I go from first to third or use third omniscient and second mixed. So I am really sorry if it's in there like that! Just put that into your review would you? Thank you so much for reading! All rights belong to Tolkien, unless you don't recognize the character (like Anya) then that is my character, Enjoy!**

~Elizabeth

The Falling Stars

Chapter 1

She wakes with a start, forehead slick with a glistening, cold sweat. She had, had this nightmare before, and she wasn't new to the terrors she found in the dark folds of her mind each night. But this time, the dream was different, the embers were all over the ground, and the air she breathed seemed to be like she was breathing in pure poison, but she wasn't dead. Every night it was the same, the world had burned and the same black clad figure came up to her asking her in its raspy voice,

"You aren't ready for what comes, you don't understand what you hold, what parts of the future you hold." the creature would say, and each night she would not have the voice to respond.

But tonight... tonight was _different_.

"What is it I have not the courage to face?" her voice had said, and even though she had kept the tremor from her voice, it still found its way through her small frame, as she tried to stare the shadowy figure down. The figure laughed at her, as if she was a puppy that just couldn't understand.

"It is not the courage you lack in," comments the figure as if eyeing her small frame and tender years. "I find your character quite lacking, especially in the department of fear." from under the shadows of his cloak, Anya could see the small and yellowed smile creeping up onto the cracked and bloody lips of the shaded figure.

"I do not fear, for there is nothing to scare me." she says, voice so quiet it is almost, a mere whisper on the air.

"You should fear," says the figure, "We _all_ fear, no one 'does not' fear anything. Because fear does not work like that, fear strikes at your heart, fear tries to disable your defenses, put you in a place where you don't know what you are doing, where you are no longer home. " his lips quirk in an uncanny smirk "Maybe... yes" he says as if having a conversation only he can hear, "well why not? She's old enough for it, come on then." he nods as if deciding," It's settled then,"

And then everything around Anya burst into a single shout of spectacular color, and then all faded to darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 Somewhere, if that's a place

Chapter 2

Anya almost forgot who she was entirely, almost, but she still knew she didn't belong here, and she certainly did not recognize where here was. "Well it's got to be somewhere," she mumbles to herself, and that all depends on what you mean by somewhere. Obviously she was somewhere, but where that somewhere was? Even God couldn't say. She let her eyes wander around the tall pines that surrounded her. She lay on the ground eyes looking up into the trees limbs, and past them to the black sky behind and the silver stars, shining their light in between both. Giving light in the darkness. 'Stars can't shine without darkness,' Her sister's voice echoes in her mind. And she was right, Anya realizes, they can't. Who would want them to? But that also meant that without the evil that was so intricately laced into the world, Anya was born into, we could have no light. But that was her society, where she lived, and this place was most assuredly not where she was from. There was something different about the sky, and the patterns of the stars told her that she wasn't at home, she wasn't in her country, and from what she could tell, she wasn't in her world. "Then where am I?" she whispers into the darkness around her. A bush near her rustles, and the branches of the trees above her, creating their protective canopy creak and scratch at each other, like in a quiet battle. 'I wonder what there is out there... if this isn't my world...then there are any number of things that could be out there, that could be there to kill me, or ...or..." Anya couldn't think of anything worse to happen to someone than to die. But her thoughts are all interrupted as the forest collectively shudders. "What was that?" she thinks frantically. " This isn't at all like home, its very, very different. It's filled with many dangers or many blessings, and I've yet to find either." She thinks, " What am I doing here?" she questions the sky as loud as she dares. But the starry depths above her don't move, no clouds roll in, nothing happens. Nothing moves. The sky stays silent. Anya lets out a huff of displeasure. "Fine," she mumbles as she stomps around the circle of trees she woke up in, "don't give me a clue. I don't need that anyhow." she searches for a mossy tree, if she had been completely well cultured in the arts of forestry she would've realized that other places this would not always work, "Which side has the most moss?" she mumbles. The tress were all covered in a fine, thick layer of mossy blankets. "Well that looks alright," she says fingers brushing the tree, "Go north, always go north," she whispers "I mean... I'm bound to get somewhere right?" and just as before, she was somewhere, but the somewhere she was, was still a somewhere to here. So she kept walking through the dark forest until the pale beams of sunlight began to peak the horizon. Now is when she realized that somewhere was no longer a secluded forest, there were other things there, but not exactly the company she was hoping for. Gnats buzzed around her sticky hair, and she did her best to swat them away, but she was growing tired and sluggish in the heat, and the fine sheen of sweat that's covering her body made her finally sit down in defeat, unfortunately she sat down right next to a snake. Mouth open in shock she jumped up in surprise walking a fair distance before climbing a tree, scolding herself for being so scared, But that's what happenes isn't it? When you are far away from home, and you've no idea where any one else may be, if there is and 'anyone else' to speak of. thoughts still swirling Anya wearily lays down her head for a short rest.

**I hope you've enjoyed this story so far (: more people will join it soon, brut for now I'm off to make cookies. Is that strange? Who reads the authors notes any way? Review please, you lovely little things! also if you'd be so kind as to look at my other story, The Second Floor Over , its a Sherlock fiction, hope you like it, Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 3 Elves and Arachnids

Chapter 3

No matter how short Anya had intended her nap to be, she woke late in the day, just as the sun's rays became a fiery red and the sky turned to blood. But Anya could still see, and at that moment, sight was something Anya would gladly give away, if it meant she didn't have to see the creatures before her.

First came the one with its spindly legs climbing round the trunk of a tall sturdy oak. The second crawled forward from underneath her, and Anya didn't need to turn around to know that a third spider was right behind her, crawling slowly down the trunk of the old pine she sat in. Her breathing quickened and her eyes widened as she saw the barbed legs of the thing behind her. Any one put in her position at this moment would have screamed and run, but Anya knew better, even if she had yet to know that she in fact did know better.

"Just sit, sit, don't move. It's a spider, you've never been scared of spiders before." she whispers to herself,

"But," her brain begins a retort "Spiders aren't normally bigger than you, with teeth sharp as razors and eyes like the darkest night."

Anya keeps her eyes squeezed tight shut, and that is why she did not see the arrow that found its way through the first spider's head, nor the one that found its way into the seconds abdomen. But she did hear the screams. The ear splitting, high pitched, almost operatic (if it was a bad Opera) screams.

That is when she opened her eyes. Now if Anya had not opened her eyes at this moment in all honesty she would have been dead, no doubt about it. But the thing is, she did open her eyes, and that is why she is still alive. As Anya let her eyes open she saw the claw like pincers, in the spiders mouth coming slowly nearer.

"Breath, breath, breath." she whispered as it edged nearer. Anya let her hands wrap round a fair sized branch that lay in the crook of two limbs behind her, and with all the strength she had, and all of the adrenaline that pulsed through her ears, she thrust her makeshift weapon, into the open jowl of the awaiting arachnid. Out of surprise, the spider lost its already precarious stance, upon the branch. It fell to the forest floor, neck cracking as it hit bottom. Anya winces at the sound echoing through the forest.

"You!" calls a voice from below, Anya presses herself up against the tree, breath quick and gasping. "I won't hurt you," says the voice,

"How do I know?" Anya asks, "I don't know you," her eyes scan the ground below, finally making out the vague shape of a man below her.

"I promise," says the voice, "Now by the Valar get down from there! You'll get yourself killed!" he says.

"Turn around," she says

"What-"

"JUST TURN!" she commands, and as soon as he was turned and she felt he wouldn't turn back she adjusted her skirt and began her decent.

Once on the pine needle and leaf covered ground she let her skirt fall to the way it was before, her blouse was ripped and her skirt torn at the hem, her stockings had holes in them that no one could ever hope to repair, and her shoes, her shoes were so helplessly scuffed, well they weren't going to be used for any formal dinners anytime soon.

"So," says the man in front of her "Can I turn around now?"

"Yes," she waves her hand at him dismissively, he turns back towards her.

"So who are you?" he asks looking her up and down, raising an eye brow at him she looks at his finely woven tunic.

"I could ask you the same thing, what? Did you escape from a renaissance fair?" she says,"I don't know what you mean by renaissance, but I believe it is you not I who is out of place."

'ME?' Anya thinks angrily, "Fine." she growls out "If you're not too high and mighty to talk to me would you mind telling me where I am?"

"Well," he says, "It might be easier if I just showed you." Rolling her eyes Anya looks to him,

"Whatever floats your boat man,"

"Man?" he says looking at her like he was teaching a small puppy, that refused to listen. "I am an Elf." Looking at him with an eye brow raised she stares for a moment.

"Okay I'm not dumb, I think you're just a tad tall for an elf."

"Are you confusing my race with that of the dirty traitors we call Dwarves?" Anya eyed him warily,

"I don't know, I'm not from around here," she says,

"Obviously," he mumbles, then begins to mumble words in a language she cannot understand. But she doesn't have time to listen to him for long, because her world pitches forward, and everything is black again.


End file.
